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Meet the killers of Netflix's 'horrifying' true crime series I Am A Killer
Mentions: ''Allen Carter'', ''Darren Cain'', ''Dennis Young'', ''Dennise Hayslip'', Frank Hart, ''Harvey Horne'', ''Jerry Parker'', Michael LaHood, ''Myrtle Ruby'', ''Tommy Evans'' and ''Xavier Rodriguez'' Publication: Metro.co.uk Date: 15 August 2019 Author: Tilly Pearce Original: https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/15/meet-killers-netflixs-horrifying-true-crime-series-killer-10577848/ ---- Netflix series I Am A Killer may have been out for a while, but it’s suddenly exploded back into the public eye with viewers more horrified by the confessions than ever. From why they are on death row to how teen killers on a satanic rampage, the blunt discussions will give you chills. With a second season on its way in October, the true crime tale from the killer’s perspective is an intimate look at what drives people to murder – and in some states, what murder even means. The docu-series gives what creators call ‘a fascinating and in-depth insight into the stories of prisoners on death row in America, awaiting their fate’. The synopsis continues: ‘Showing that there are multiple sides to every story, each one-hour episode profiles 10 prisoners convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. ‘The series features never before seen footage with extraordinary access to prisons across America. Each convicted prisoner recounts the events that led up to their crime and, shockingly, the event itself. Here are the 10 men who have agreed to take part in the series, and what they did to end up behind bars. James Robertson CRIME: Murder of cellmate Frank Hart SENTENCE: Death James Robertson has been in and out of prison his whole life, starting with aggravated assault and burglary at 16 years old. Due to stabbings and assaults committed within the prison walls, he later accrued up to 100 years of jail time, and was constantly in solitary confinement. He landed on death row after killing cellmate Frank Hart in 2008 – before demanding execution as his punishment. It took him three years to get his wish, mainly because that meant he would get out of solitary. It’s suggested that was why he decided to kill Hart. Death row allows larger cells and more yard time in Florida. Kenneth Foster CRIME: Getaway driver for a murder SENTENCE: Death (later committed to life) Michael LaHood was shot and killed by Mauricio Brown in the middle of his parents driveway back in 1996. Kenneth Foster drove the getaway car for Brown following the incident. He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the crime, but just six hours before execution, he was committed to life. Brown died in 2006 by lethal injection. Justin Dickens CRIME: Robbery/Homicide SENTENCE: Death Justin Dickens was 17 years old when he received the death penalty for a robbery/homicide, capital murder. He claims he was coerced into a robbery by Dallas Moore, a drug dealer and addict he had stolen cocaine off of. As payment for the drugs and to stop himself getting killed, he agreed to rob a jewellery store at gunpoint. When schoolteacher Allen Carter tried to fight him, they got in a fight when the gun went off, through Carter's hand and into his head. Miguel 'Angel' Martinez CRIME: Triple Murder and robbery SENTENCE: Death (later committed to life) Miguel 'Angel' Martinez became the youngest person on Texas death row for a triple homicide police believe was Satanic in nature. He was implicated alongside Manuel ‘Milo’ Flores and Miguel Venegas – but was the only one sentenced to death in 1991. While breaking into the home of Baptist minister James Smiley, Venegas went on an axe rampage killing the three people in the house, convinced in a drug-fuelled rage he was the 'son of the devil'. Smiley was entertaining two guests at his house and were also killed in the massacre – 20-year-old Ruben Martinez and 14-year-old Daniel Duenez. Martinez admits to stabbing one of the victims, before throwing up, but got the worst punishment as the eldest of the group at 17. Miguel Venegas CRIME: Triple Murder and robbery SENTENCE: 41 years in prison Venegas is currently serving 41 years in prison, and continues to defend the killings, claiming Smiley was a pedophile. There is nothing to support these claims and have been debunked by those that knew him as a 'sick lie'. During the attack, Venegas walked into each room, stabbing the victims in the beds they were sleeping in. Smiley and one man were in the bedrooms, while a third was on the sofa. He dodged death row as he was only 16 at the time of the murders. Charlies Thompson CRIME: Double Homicide SENTENCE: Death Row Thompson shot ex-girlfriend Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend Darren Cain, in 1998. He was charged with manslaughter, and then murder, after Hayslip was killed due to a hospital error. After being shot in the jaw, Hayslip was given a naso-tracheal intubation to help her breathe – but they put the tube into her esophagus instead of her trachea, eventually leaving her brain dead. As a result, he is not contesting his sentence saying there's insufficient evidence for capital murder because he did not sic He later escaped from prison in 2005 after being sentenced to death, but was caught and brought back to prison. David Lee Lewis CRIME: Robbery-Homicide SENTENCE: Death David Lee Lewis shot and killed 74-year-old Myrtle Ruby after she found him robbing her home in 1987. However, he has a borderline IQ of between 69 to 85, with US Federal law stating that those with an IQ of 70 or under not being executed. His defence is now arguing that in some testing methods he grades below the line, and as therefore unable to have intent to kill. In his words, he didn't know who he was killing, and shot when he was startled by someone's return while high. Deandra Buchanan CRIME: Triple Homicide SENTENCE: Death (later committed to life sentence) In November 2000, Buchanan shot and killed his stepfather, aunt and his girlfriend during a celebration of his aunt's new home. He maintains that he was in a paranoid rage induced by drugs, believing that his family was plotting against him, with intent to kill or have him jailed. His girlfriend, Angela Brown, was holding their five-month-old baby when he shot her in the neck. They also had another child together. Buchanan has since appealed his death penalty sentence, and he was re-sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Robert Shafer CRIME: Double Homicide – Robbery SENTENCE: Life (commuted to Death, and then back to Life) Robert was 19 when he and David Steinmeyer, 16, confessed to the murders of Dennis Young and Jerry Parker in 1990. They initially they had acted in self defence after being attacked by the same-sex couple while hitching a ride with them. But two years later, representing himself in court, Shafer changed his story and requested the death penalty. After being given it, he then appealed it, and it was ruled that he didn't have the mental capabilities to represent himself. He's now serving a life sentence in Missouri. The real motive behind the crime remains contested. Joshua Nelson CRIME: Murder of Tommy Evans SENTENCE: Death Nelson has been waiting for two decades to be handed his death sentence after killing his friend Tommy Evans alongside Keith Brennan in 1995. The pair had planned to kill and rob their friend, luring him to an abandoned building where they beat him with a baseball bat before slashing his throat with a box cutter. They were turned in by their girlfriends after confessing to them during their escape plan from Florida to New Jersey. While Brennan got life because he was technically a minor, Nelson was given a death sentence by lethal injection for being 18. Wayne Doty CRIME: First Degree Murder x2 (Harvey Horne II, and later prison inmate Xavier Rodriguez) SENTENCE: Life (changed to Death after death of Rodriguez) While serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of manufacturing plant night watchman Harvey Horne II, Doty stabbed and strangled to death his inmate Xavier Rodriguez in 2011. Doty later pleaded guilty to the crime, and his life sentence was changed to death in 2013. Due to legal changes his death sentence was thrown out in 2016 and he had a retrial, only for the jury unanimously voting for the death sentence again in 2018. He currently remains on death row in Florida, and requested to die by electric chair as opposed to lethal injection, despite it no longer being used in the state. I Am A Killer is available now on Netflix. Category:Aug 2019 Category:Metro.co.uk Category:Mentions with red links